National Republican., 1887-04-06
Henry Clay and the wings Of the South

investment.
Henry Clay and the wings Of the South.
In an exchange II Is stated that rose
bush has been transplanted from the old
home Of Henry Clay to the grave Of Thur.
low Weed. Naturally, reading this brought
back the image and the times Of the great
Wing leader, and induced comparisons
between the ideas that ruled the south In
his day and rule II now.
While 1t is true that most of the southern
states were Democratic, they were so only
by small majorities, and IL was the wonder
ful popularity Of Henry Clay and his po-
litical ideas with the educated classes that
built up and held together the powerful
minority which always contested every
election, and sometimes successfully in
each Of the southern states.
There were great numbers Of uneducated
people in the south, particularly In the rural
communities, where there were no public
and but few private schools, where news
papers were hardly ever seen, and where
the only books found In most houses were
copy Of the Bible, hymn book and AN
almanac, ard the ability to read them was
generally confined to one member Of the
household.
Democracy was strong with this class OF
people. In the small towns there were
generally good schools, newspapers were
read, and the people thought for them.
selves, and In almost every town and city
| Of the south a majority Of the voters were
Wings, believing In the doctrines OF Henry
Clay, tariff for protection, the sovereignty
Of the nation, internal improvements by
the general government, and public schools
to provide an elementary education for all
children. OF course there were Democrats
who were educated men, but the vast
majority Of the men in the south, who
| possessed more than mere rudimentary
schooling were Wings.
| The people Of the south were born poli-
ticians, and hundreds Of men, who could
neither read nor write, could still discuss
politics, and really had some crude ideas OF
the political issues, taken only from their
Democratic leaders aud believed In as
blindly and fanatically as his followers be.
lieved in the yelled prophet Of Khorassan.
But the men who could read and Judge for
themselves were Wings, which party held
precisely the same doctrines upon economic
questions and governmental policy as are
held by the Republican party to-day.
The Wings Of the south were unreservedly
devoted to their great leader, Henry Clay,
and to the tenets Of their party. 1t was a
terrible blow to them when that party was
wrecked and they were left to drift aim
lessly on the sea Of politics. They despised
the Democratic party, and nothing could
make them like it, yet they were forced at
the close Of the war to unite with It. They
knew 1t was responsible for the war and for
the ruin wrought by 1t, but as Whlg and
Democrat had alike battled in the confel
crate ranks and were alike ruined, sympathy
drew them together at first, though they
would soon have drifted apart had not tht
race question been raised and the negroe
massed into solid phalanx of voters, whtcl
the whites regarded as threat.
The Republican leaders at the soutl
either did not wish to secure white votes
were afraid that they could not get any, o
did not think the white men OF the soutI
would unite with the negroes or any par
| VI tuelu III SOustibutlDp pOitiChl puTIy
At any rate, the Republican leaders mad
the mistake of building their party upo
tie weakest element in the south, tn
negroes, instead of building it on th
l strongest, the old Wings, who were ais
the natural allies of the Republican part,
The result was that the Wings, despi:
l ing the Democrats, yet united with then
!, ard then came the inevitable-the Republ
can party of the south, through "structur
(, Weakness fell.
Thousands and tens OF thousands of &,
= white men Of the south--the sons Of the ol
followers Of Henry Clay-bave been votin
for free trade, for that sublimated Demc
I cratic nonsense called state sovereignt
and for all the isms and follies that const
tute Democracy, when both inclination an
intelligence urged them to unite with tl
Republican party, which was standing ups
q the platform of their fathers, but the roa
l. was barred by the inexorable law of caste.
Now that President Cleveland has broke
e down this barrier-stronger than any Chimes
n wall--by inviting negroes to seats at t,
banqueting table of the Democratic part
even to the exclusion Of some of the whi
It brethren, these southern Wings can folio
IS their ipclinations; let intelligence lead the
y instead Of prejudice, and by uniting wi
s. the Republican party secure the triumph
?, the old Wing principles which Henry Cl
% advocated and their fathers voted for.